After entering the cavern, it has a narrowing tunnel that descends into the darkness. It’s not for the faint of heart, nor for the inexperienced. It has to be an incredible adrenaline rush though. Facts from Wikipedia: Cave diving is one of the most challenging and potentially dangerous kinds of diving or caving and presents many hazards. Cave diving is a form of penetration diving, meaning that in an emergency a diver cannot swim vertically to the surface due to the cave’s ceilings, and so must swim the entire way back out in case of emergency. The underwater navigation through the cave system may be difficult and exit routes may be at considerable distance, requiring the diver to have sufficient breathing gas to make the journey. The dive may also be deep, resulting in potential deep diving risks. Cave diving has been perceived as one of the more deadly sports in the world. This perception is arguable because the vast majority of divers who have lost their lives in caves have either not undergone specialized training or have had inadequate equipment for the environment. Cave divers have suggested that cave diving is in fact statistically much safer than recreational diving due to the much larger barriers imposed by experience, training, and equipment cost.” Photo #11 by BBS.Godeyes

A new journalistic documentary film investigating the strange disappearance of Scuba diver Ben McDaniel. According to the filmmakers, “On a hot August night, Ben McDaniel attempted the adventure of a lifetime. He slipped beneath the clear waters of Vortex Spring, with one goal in mind: to make a name for himself in the extreme world of cave diving. He was never seen again. Was it an accident? A hoax? Or something more sinister?” Video #1 by Jill Heinerth

While I don’t know Ben and have never been to Vortex Spring, this clip shows just how challenging diving here might be. Rescue divers are very important since many divers have died there, more than 300 as the Grim Reaper sign indicated. According to this article, “13 people died at Vortex in the 1980s, when cave diving was young. Those numbers fell as safety improved. Now, only about a half-dozen die a year in underwater caves worldwide, and most are open-water divers not familiar with the dangers. Caves can collapse. Chambers can disorient and steal one’s sense of direction. Silt can blind. Tight restrictions can snare hoses, tanks and people.” No offense to the video maker, but it’s not in the best English. Just the same, our online brains can read typos and the “Lost Diver” video gives a good indication of what rescue diving must be like. Video #2 by deepswim